Boles Bags First-Half Hat-Trick As Wolfhounds End Gwalia’s Title Hopes

CELTIC CHALLENGE – ROUND 9:

Saturday, March 1 –

GWALIA LIGHTNING 17 WOLFHOUNDS 48, CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach
Scorers: Gwalia Lightning: Tries: Rhodd Parry, Bryonie King, Caitlin Lewis; Con: Carys Hughes
Wolfhounds: Tries: Claire Boles 3, Leah Tarpey, Vicky Elmes Kinlan 2, Eve Higgins, Katie Corrigan; Cons: Dannah O’Brien 4
HT: Gwalia Lightning 0 Wolfhounds 41

Neill Alcorn’s side produced a dominant first half performance, stringing together seven unanswered tries before half-time – including a hat-trick from captain and player-of-the-match Claire Boles – to lead 41-0.

Vicky Elmes Kinlan completed her brace before Gwalia Lightning lock Alaw Pyrs returned from the sin bin. The third-placed hosts lifted their game with closing tries from Rhodd Parry, skipper Bryonie King, and Caitlin Lewis.

The Wolfhounds could have been further in front at the finish, but the maximum haul was all they needed to remain two points in front of the Clovers heading into next week’s all-important final round.

The cross-border competition’s title race will come to an exciting conclusion when the Wolfhounds entertain Edinburgh Rugby at Energia Park next Saturday (kick-off 12.15pm), while the Clovers travel to Gwalia in their last outing of the campaign.

Boles and her team-mates made early inroads in their final away trip with a strong bout of carrying. Molly Boyne, Fiona Tuite, and Eve Higgins propelled them forward on the all-weather pitch before Ulster lock Tuite was held up during a penalty advantage.

Dannah O’Brien’s touchfinder set up a lineout in the left corner, and a clever set-piece move delivered an opening fourth-minute score. Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair’s take in the air saw her lay the ball back behind her for Tuite to set up a maul from which Boles was driven over.

The visitors soon showed how dangerous they can be from turnover ball. Ní Chonchobhair firstly pinched a lineout, and then Christy Haney’s quick hands turned a dropped Gwalia Lightning pass into a breakaway try as Ní Chonchobhair sent Leah Tarpey charging in under the posts.

While missed tackles were an issue for Gwalia, their centres Kelsie Webster and Molly Anderson-Thomas did well to hold up Brittany Hogan. The Wolfhounds maintained their presence in the 22 though, generating quick ball from a scrum to put Elmes Kinlan over, leaving it 17-0.

A scrappy spell was broken up by the Wolfhounds’ bonus point score, as O’Brien’s nicely-timed pass put Eve Higgins over from close range. The Tullow youngster was unable to convert, but her left boot continued to pin Gwalia back in the battle for territory.

The Welsh outfit leaked a fifth try past the half hour mark, with a move from a scrum breaking down and the loose ball was gratefully scooped up by Boles for a 28-metre run-in. O’Brien’s conversion made it 29-0.

After a Gwalia Lightning attack downfield was spoiled by a knock-on, the Wolfhounds knitted together some ground-gaining phases, at the end of which O’Brien was stopped just short before Jade Gaffney got the ball wide for Katie Corrigan to score past the covering Lewis.

Worse followed for Gwalia when Pyrs took out Boles in the air from the restart, resulting in a yellow card. The Wolfhounds pressed from a subsequent maul, and chipped away with carries, leading to Boles completing her hat-trick from a Corrigan pass.

O’Brien converted impressively from out wide, and then topped off Elmes Kinlan’s well-finished 47th-minute effort from the right touchline. The young out-half was also involved in the build-up to the try, with her kick downfield sitting up invitingly for Corrigan to break into the 22.

Upping their physicality with Pyrs returning, Gwalia Lightning won turnover ball from a Wolfhounds maul, using it to build for their opening score. Their forwards carried well, setting up Courtney Greenway to get her hands free in a tackle and send Parry over out wide.

Having already had to replace try scorer Higgins during the first half, her replacement Anna Doyle picked up a knock, meaning the Wolfhounds saw out the match with the versatile Lauren Farrell McCabe teaming up with Tarpey in the centre.

Pyrs and King combined to good effect twice in quick succession, the former’s offloads putting the Gwalia captain into space. She delivered a smart finish on the second occasion, getting around O’Brien’s challenge to score behind the posts. The conversion from Carys Hughes made it 48-12.

Number 8 King increased her influence with a strong charge off the back of a 66th-minute scrum. It set the wheels in motion for Gwalia to strike again, with Lewis hurdling her way over the whitewash after good work from replacement Molly Reardon to release the outside backs.

The Wolfhounds steadied the ship and had the better of the remaining 12 minutes. Following up on Farrell McCabe’s fast reactions to snap up a breaking ball, Corrigan missed out on a try when referee Will Goodwin called play back for a penalty.

Replacement Kelly Burke was subsequently held up, and the ever-eager Corrigan threatened again during the dying embers. O’Brien teed her up twice, but Lewis tackled her into touch the first time, and an O’Brien kick bounced just too far in front of the 19-year-old a few minutes later.

TIME LINE: 4 minutes – Wolfhounds try: Claire Boles – 0-5; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 0-5; 7 mins – Wolfhounds try: Leah Tarpey – 0-10; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 0-12; 15 mins – Wolfhounds try: Vicky Elmes Kinlan – 0-17; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 0-17; 26 mins – Wolfhounds try: Eve Higgins – 0-22; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 0-22; 33 mins – Wolfhounds try: Claire Boles – 0-27; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 0-29; 38 mins – Wolfhounds try: Katie Corrigan – 0-34; conversion: missed by Dannah O’Brien – 0-34; 40 mins – Gwalia Lightning yellow card: Alaw Pyrs; 40+3 mins – Wolfhounds try: Claire Boles – 0-39; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 0-41; Half-time – Gwalia Lightning 0 Wolfhounds 41; 47 mins – Wolfhounds try: Vicky Elmes Kinlan – 0-46; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 0-48; 53 mins – Gwalia Lightning try: Rhodd Parry – 5-48; conversion: missed by Carys Hughes – 5-48; 62 mins – Gwalia Lightning try: Bryonie King – 10-48; conversion: Carys Hughes – 12-48; 67 mins – Gwalia Lightning try: Caitlin Lewis – 17-48; conversion: missed by Carys Hughes – 17-48; Full-time – Gwalia Lightning 17 Wolfhounds 48

GWALIA LIGHTNING: Jenny Hesketh; Courtney Greenway, Kelsie Webster, Molly Anderson-Thomas, Caitlin Lewis; Carys Hughes, Sian Jones; Maisie Davies, Molly Wakely, Cana Williams, Paige Jones, Alaw Pyrs, Lily Terry, Catrin Stewart, Bryonie King (capt).

Replacements used: Rhodd Parry for Hesketh (5 mins), Molly Reardon for Wakely (39-half-time), Jenni Scoble for Williams (half-time), Reardon for Wakely, Erin Jones for Terry (both 50), Dali Hopkins for Davies (58), Freya Bell for Anderson-Thomas (63), Katie Bevans for S Jones, Lottie Buffery-Latham for P Jones (both 72), Wakely for Stewart (75).

WOLFHOUNDS: Amy Larn (Athy RFC); Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Leah Tarpey (Railway Union/Leinster), Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Cooke RFC/Ulster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC/Ulster) (capt), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).

Replacements used: Anna Doyle (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) for Higgins (27 mins), Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan RFC) for Tuite, Tricia Doyle (Railway Union RFC) for O’Dowd (half-time), Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC/Ulster) for A Doyle (56), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC/Leinster) for Clenaghan, Poppy Garvey (Railway Union RFC/Connacht) for Boles (both 63), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) for Gaffney (66), Sophie McAllister (Ballymena RFC) for Haney (75).

Referee: Will Goodwin (WRU)